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- [00:11]
A
Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. I'm your host, Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or to find a therapist in your area, visit our website@therapyforblackgirls.com while I hope you love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with a licensed mental health professional.
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Hey y', all, thanks so much for
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joining me for session 472 of the
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therapy for Black Girls Podcast.
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Today I'm chatting with astrologer Camille Michelle Gray for a mid year check in on all things transits, astrological themes, and a look into what's in the stars for us as a collective for the
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rest of the year.
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We'll get into all of that right
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after a quick word from our sponsors.
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C
This is an I Heart Podcast.
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A
Guaranteed Human living with a rare autoimmune condition brings uncertainty, but it can also create community. In season six of Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, they go beyond MG and CIDP as host Martine Hackett welcomes stories from other conditions like myositis and IgAN into the conversation. Untold Stories is produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenics. Listen to Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you've listened to the podcast for a while, you know we love to do our annual astrology check in and today we're welcoming a new voice on the show to give us a breakdown of what's to come for the rest of this year. I'm excited to chat with Camille Michelle Gray, an astrologer, musician and writer from D.C. who approaches her astrology practice believing it is a marriage of the human condition with the cosmic condition. We talk about how major astrological moments will inform the rest of 2026, and Camille even shares a special takeaway for each sign. So whether you're deeply into astrology or just like to dip in here and there, I think you'll enjoy our conversation. Let's dive in. Thank you so much for joining us today, Camille.
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C
Absolutely. Dr. Joy, it's a pleasure to be here.
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B
Very excited for our mid year astrology check in. I think this is always a great conversation. So so for those who may not be familiar, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you started doing astrology work yeah.
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C
My name is Camille Michelle Gray. I am a consulting astrologer from the Washington, D.C. area. I actually got into astrology. It's kind of part of my birth story. So my mom had my chart read as a kid. Lived a lot of life between then and my mid twenties. I picked astrology back up after a pretty difficult time looking to find some awareness, some reasons why. And I found that I had a knack for it, that it was really fun, and that people enjoyed, enjoyed my interpretations. So I kept moving with it, and nine years later, I get to talk to folks like you.
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B
Very cool. Very cool. So that is so interesting that it's something like that your mom also really basically introduced you to. So have y' all had conversations around astrology and the role it's played in both of your lives?
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C
Absolutely. I remember I was going through a difficult time with an ex, and she was the first one who said, let's pull up the chart. And I was like, what is this? What do you mean? What are you talking about? So she really passed me the baton, and I took it much, much further. But she and I continue to have conversations. She's like, what's going on for me? What's going on with Saturn in my seventh house? She's really a wonderful person to talk to about these things, and so I really enjoyed that connection with her.
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B
And the way that you practice in terms of astrology is a particular astrology called evolutionary and Hellenistic astrology. Can you give us a quick primer on what this is?
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C
Yeah. So Hellenistic astrology is essentially the traditional kind of revival of astrology as it was many hundred years. So I see that as my technical foundation in the art to kind of know how to read things from a more technical standpoint. And then I welcomed in evolutionary astrology more as the poetic kind of storytelling side of things. And the way that I like to put it for folks is Hellenistic or traditional astrology is really good at telling you what is evolutionary astrology is really good at telling you why. So it takes it a step further and it becomes less about, this is hard or this is easy.
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D
And.
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C
And becomes more about the soul's conversation of like, well, why is this hard? How are you being asked to grow? Or why is this easy? How are you being asked to use this? So I just created my own bespoke version of astrology, merging these two kind of ways or schools together.
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B
Got it. And so when we look ahead at the rest of 2026, what kinds of major themes come up for you?
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C
So when I Was looking forward. There's a certain theme of slowing down, maybe going back, maybe reversals, or needing to fine tune or tweak some things. So when I was reflecting on the first half of 2026, there's so much activation in air signs and fire signs. And these are signs that want to go up and out, they want to move, they want to explore. So 2026, for a lot of folks has been getting things started, getting things moving, going in unprecedented directions maybe. But the latter half of this year, because of some retrogrades, because of some earth and water ingresses, I think there's going to be a little bit more of like a slowing down, a little bit more of a reflection. How have you moved forward and stopping to reflect? Do I want to keep moving this way? There's going to be a little bit more about accounting for the body, for stillness, for routine as we move forward. So that's my general overview of like, the tone shift. There's going to be a little bit of like a cosmic pumping of the brakes that's like, wait, wait, wait, we've moved forward, we've changed a lot, but let's make sure we're doing so with intention.
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B
And to what would you ascribe the slowing down?
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C
Yeah, so we have many outer planets in air signs and in fire signs. So the beginning of this year was chock full of Uranus entered Gemini, Saturn entered Aries, Neptune entered Aries. Tomorrow, Jupiter enters Leo. So there's so much air and fire. But these are outer planets that spend about half of the year stationing retrograde. So in July, Saturn and Neptune will go retrograde. In September, September, Uranus will go retrograde. And so to me, astrology and astrology through retrogrades, I think is this really elegant way of trying to get us to be like, wait a minute, let's rest and digest here. We don't always have to be moving at this trajectory of forward motion is the best motion. So usually with retrogrades, we see things slowing down. We are being invited to reconsider. That can be felt in our lives as frustration or a little bit of a block or a little bit of lack of inspiration. But I would always ask folks, what is this pause teaching you? What is the impasse teaching you? And I think retrogrades are a very elegant way of astrology, forcing us to slow down, gather the wisdom of how far we've come, and then move with a little bit more intention as we move forward. So that's what I'm thinking about there. And there's also an ingress that happened Chiron. I know that Mecca woods talked about Chiron in your last recording. Looking forward to 2026. It Enter the sign of Taurus, this very earth body based, material based sign. And it forms an interesting kind of counterpoint to the narrative of the year, which is so much air and fire and change and move and go and expand. It's a quality of wait a minute, let's remember the body, let's remember nature, let's remember our natural rhythms. This was an ingress that just happened on June 19th. So a little bit more consideration again of how to move forward in a way that's sustainable and that's kind to our body and that's also kind to the planet.
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B
Is there anything in particular that we should be mindful of or that you want to call attention to around this retrograde that ends July 23rd? Anything in particular there?
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C
Yeah, the Mercury retrograde in Cancer. This is one of those touch points of the year where we're being forced to investigate a more interior territory. So again, to repeat myself, air and fire wants to go out, it wants to keep moving. It doesn't want to stop to consider those things. So through this Mercury retrograde and later we will have a Venus retrograde that starts in Scorpio as well. So these more emotional and psychologically triggering terrains. Again, it's this story of yes, so much has been changing for us externally, but let's go within and see if anything has changed internally or where we need to redress or address some more emotionally or again, like deeper seated things that we haven't so far maybe have had time for as things have been bustling and moving forward. One of the things I always say with Mercury retrograde, as a person who loathes the fear that we have around this is, hey, life will continue to happen. But I would say just cross your T's, dot your I's, move with an I on being more thorough, more considered investigating things more. But specifically with Mercury and Cancer, themes of nostalgia returning to things that make us feel cared for, that make us feel nurtured, maybe conversations or mental movement happening on the family front or on the home front. Again, these more deeper seated things, all of that is coming up to again be investigated as we continue to move forward. And as this year kind of gallops
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forward, Is there anything to pay attention
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B
to with this kind of being at the same time as like summer's really starting for people, right? Like in a lot of the country has finally gotten really warm and people Are outside, like, really excited about festivals, being out with friends and living life? Is there anything about. Yeah, anything about the Mercury retrograde that feels interesting, coinciding with summer really starting?
- [10:33]
C
I mean, it's certainly a dissonance. And I feel like when Jupiter enters Leo literally in like 12 hours, that summer feeling is gonna feel so amplified. But again, it's the way that astrology is dynamic. It's like, yes, there's fun, there's discovery, there's play to be had, but not forgetting the internal things that also spark joy and connection. So while there is so much out there for us to get our hands into and, like, play and celebrate around this Mercury retrograde in cancer is saying, wait a minute, not so fast. Let's check in on the heart space. Let's check in on the connections that actually feed and sustain our life. It's not just about fun or the next kind of shiny object. It's also about building a kind of emotional foundation or emotional tapestry that can support, right. All of that goodness and all of that fun and all that celebration so people may experience, like, yes, I'm at this festival, but some feelings or some nostalgia or some, again, like, more deeper considered things are coming up to be dealt with at the same time. And maybe play could be a great outlet or a good release valve. But always making sure you're doing the work that astrology is calling upon us to do, which at this time is like, check in on the heart space, really think and integrate and make consciousness, the things that are weighing on the heart. At this time.
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B
You mentioned that you don't really love the way that some people talk about retrogrades, and it has this negative connotation, I think, a lot. Right. What do you think? People often misinterpret or get wrong around
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C
retrogrades, Specifically with Mercury retrogrades. It has such a reputation around things going haywire that there can be this thing that we do where it's like, if everything. If one thing goes wrong or if one thing doesn't go according to plan, we blame the retrograde. As if retrogradation is like an aberration in some way. But again, moving forward comes with periods of returning back or needing to reverse or needing to look within. So not seeing these retrogrades as punishing you or not seeing, again, forward motion as the only viable directionality. But regarding retrogrades and even the hiccups that happen during retrogrades as a way to prompt deeper consideration of, like, oh, you know, this communication fell through. What do I learn? Maybe about next time, about how to communicate better. So these are learning periods. They're periods for resting and digesting as well. And they don't have to be all bad. They don't have to like get this negative PR all the time. It's just the way that we are being again invited to move with more consideration and more thoroughness, but also to investigate more of our internal landscapes and to refine and to then move forward again with more clarity.
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B
Besides the things that you've already shared, are there any major planetary movements, transits or shifts happening through the end of the year that feel especially consequential? And what should we be paying attention to during that time?
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C
Yeah, so one of the big shifts is Jupiter entering Leo. The reason why this is so important is because we will have so many outer bodies moving into these fixed places. So Leo, Chiron and Taurus will have the North Node and Pluto will continue to be in Aquarius. So I'm saying for the fixed signs there's a lot of pivoting and a lot of changing. But it's pretty consequential because Jupiter in Leo coincides with like a new one year chapter of expansion for all of us. So Jupiter in Leo is about unapologetic self expression. It's about play, it's about the expansion of the personality. But this is happening in the backdrop of the North Node in Aquarius or Pluto in Aquarius. So there's this story building of how do I use my personal spark, how do I use my character, my personality to serve something in the collective? So that's a big story that I think is going to be starting like pretty imminently. We may see that kind of constellating around stories around celebrities and influencers. Are these people who have so much Leo attention on themselves, using it in such a way that catalyzes some amount of change or transformation in the community. So people may be feeling in their own personal lives maybe this urgency around showing up in a new way. It's kind of like the community needs you now, the community needs your DNA now. But we may also be seeing in a more collective or societal way, the way that we're shifting the narrative around who gets to be important, who gets to have all the power and who gets to have all the centering as things move a little bit more towards collective empowerment. That's a big shift. Another big shift I just wanted to talk about is Venus retrograde? This is pretty remarkable because Venus only retrogrades once every two years. And we can compare that to Mercury which retrogrades three times a year. So this is a standout retrograde. Whenever Venus does this little dance, she will be starting her retrograde in Scorpio again. So this more deeper considered emotional and psychological terrain, but a story building in the last half of this year of us really having to recheck our values or go back and reconsider things within our relationships, or go back and reconsider our relationship to our own worth, to our creative expression. Even so, we can expect there to be some hiccups, as we do with retrogrades. But these hiccups always, always I say, are little trigger points to get us to turn inward, to confront whatever the source of that discomfort is and to really contend with it, or to fix it, or make peace with it so that we can move forward in our relationships or move forward holding our values or holding our creative inclinations with a little bit more agency. So those are the two big things that I'm looking at is the Venus retrograde and also Jupiter entering Leo and really setting things on fire across all of these fixed signs.
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A
More from our conversation after the break. Living with a rare autoimmune condition can bring a lot of uncertainty, but it can also bring people together in powerful ways. Tune in for Season six of Untold Stories, Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a Ruby Studio production in partnership with Argenics. This season, host Martine Hackett brings you fresh stories from people living with MG and CIDP and expands the conversation to people living with other rare conditions like myositis and igan. Through their stories, you'll learn what it's like to participate in clinical trials, seeking new treatments, how connection fuels hope, and how people can support one another along the way. Because living with a rare disease isn't about getting through it, it's about moving forward together. Listen to Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
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A new school year means a fresh start. For families that are looking for a
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feel safe, motivated and thrive in their learning environment.
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B
And so as I'm listening to you talk about this, I'm finding myself feeling pulled to like, oh, what are we journaling about, right? Like you're saying, what am I being called to, you know, think about and what am I being asked to consider? Are there any, like, journal prompts or questions that you would pose to the community for how they can tap into these things when it feels like the time is right?
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C
Yeah, that's such a great question. So for Jupiter and Leo, a really great journaling prompt is like, how am I feeling called to show up? Or what is my unique spark? Or what is this thing that is on my heart that I feel like I need to express or pour a little bit more time or energy into Again? Jupiter in Leo is calling for your star power. It's also calling for a sense of courageous vulnerability. Just getting up on the stage of life and doing it because you feel you have to, but also knowing that it'll have reverberations through the community. So really journaling on what that thing is or how you're going to show up to that thing, even when it feels uncomfortable or even when it makes you feel small. For the Venus retrograde, Maybe some classic journaling prompts of like, what's important to you now? You're at a different age, you're at a different chapter. Are the values that you've held up into this time carrying you forward in a way that feels like it's in alignment with the person that you're becoming. Things like, what do I need at a relationship? What desires maybe have I ignored or kind of put to the side that I'm ready to reignite in some kind of way? I think Venus retrograde and Jupiter in Leo will be interesting for the creatives among us as well, because we're really being triggered into maybe expressing or stepping into a new chapter of expression. So maybe things around like, what do I want to create this year? What's the most important thing that I want to kind of show that's in alignment with my values or in alignment with the person that I am?
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B
And I think when people hear Venus, they tend to think about like, love and dating and Relationships. Is there anything in addition to what you shared to think about in terms of. Of relationships and those kinds of things? When we talk about the Venus retrograde.
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C
Yeah. Venus has a lot also to do with, like, our creative instincts, our aesthetic instincts, our artistic instincts. So this could be a time that's not relational at all. For some folks. For some folks, it's maybe rediscovering their beauty, changing their hair in some kind of way. It could be reclaiming some creative medium or vessel that you have put aside to live a life that's calling out to you in some kind of way. Yeah. So it doesn't always have to be relational. It doesn't always have to be something that's romantic. It can even be about friendships. It can be about community. It can be about the ways that we are even in relationship to the Earth or family or to our pets. Venus brings in kind of all of those considerations. I know there's gonna be a heaviness around romantic relationships and all those kinds of things, but there can be so many other things in the Venusian bucket of archetypes that come up to be reconsidered and reinvestigated during this time.
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B
So astrology has historically been used to understand collective eras and turning points. When you look at the transits happening through the end of 2026, what themes emerge for you politically, socially, or economically?
- [21:41]
C
So when I'm thinking about the collective and what the astrology says about the collective, the first thing that's coming to mind is Chiron in Taurus. I think the last half of the year, we will be living in the results of having harmed the planet. Like, we will see the amplification of those things. There may be more calls towards sustainability, more calls towards environmentalism. Chiron is the wounded healer. So we enter into healing only through things that feel tender and kind of precarious. So with Chiron and Taurus, I'm thinking about the ways in which our food supply may be affected, that water is affected. I'm thinking about maybe more stories and amplification around just getting what we need to survive. These kind of Taurus tried and true basics, like the bread and butter basics of living. All of that kind of comes up under the purview of Chiron and Taurus. And even things like, I'm watching the markets, I'm watching how the finances are gonna move. Because Taurus also rules money, right? Those valuable things that give our life a sense of substance. So I think we're gonna see an amplification of that, maybe a need to innovate or be experimental around ways that we can take care of the planet, given everything that's been done to the planet at this time. I'm also thinking in terms of those retrogrades, societally and maybe particularly with our government and with the socioeconomics of the time. Retrogrades can coincide with reversals or kind of new things coming out or things being blocked or things being checked in some way. Fire and Air has a way of kind of moving, moving, moving in such a way that can cause harm. I think about the unprecedented ways that our government is moving and operating in this time. I look at the midterms happening around these retrogrades as maybe a force of kind of stopping or checking those powers or checking that accelerated movement that can harm so many people and that has harmed so many people. And then I'm also thinking about the nodal shift, right? We'll have the north node moving into Aquarius, the South node moving into Leo. There's so much amplification here around community and togetherness and a little bit more of having a sense of scrutiny around again. People that are the few that are getting enriched from the many is a story that I'm thinking of, or kind of like what I said with Jupiter and Leo, a kind of check on people's power, a check on who and what we are centering and why. So I think we will see broadly these themes playing out, right? Whether it's through celebrity culture or throughout, through politics or what we're even seeing at a local government level. This is what I'm looking at as we move forward in 2026.
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B
Camille, is there anything planetary wise or larger, astrology wise that kind of speaks to the proliferation of AI that we've been seeing in the past couple of years, but it really feels like it has taken over everything this year. Is there anything that feels like it speaks to that for you?
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C
Yes. So Pluto in Aquarius. Aquarius is a sign of tech, it's a sign of innovation. And Pluto is a sign of transit transformation. We first got a glimpse of Pluto in Aquarius way back in 2023. But it's been setting this stage for, as you said, the proliferation of tech and innovating at all costs. I think the current surge of AI has been accelerated by the fact that Uranus is in the sign of Gemini. Gemini is communication. It's how we kind of message and counterpoint with one another. Gemini is a sign that wants to spread and disseminate and collect and discover. And Uranus is the modern Ruler of Aquarius. So there's this through line of like, innovate, do something new, do something different. What's cutting edge. Right. Bringing the future to the present moment in some kind of way. And so Uranus and Pluto are forming a trine in the sky. It's like this faucet that keeps going between them. There's an ease with which they're aiding and abetting in technological progresses that may or may not be or really may not be for the good of mankind. Right. Pluto can sometimes unearth the toxic underbelly of whatever sign that it is in. And with Aquarius, it's like progress at all costs. Right. Leaving the human behind for all of these advances that we're making. So I definitely see the acceleration of AI Being a Pluto problem, but particularly also in this season of Uranus in Gemini and people wanting new, different ways to communicate or share that is certainly part of the story as well. And that really got amplified over the spring.
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B
Yeah, yeah, I thought about that, because you were talking about, like, how the end of this year may cause us to kind of reckon with the damage we've done to the planet.
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A
Right.
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And as we learn more about, like, water consumption in data centers and, you know, it just feels like at some point, it feels like this will come to a head. And so I was just very curious around your thoughts there.
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C
Yeah, I totally agree. But I also feel like humanity is interesting in that when things get dire, there's a kind of force of innovation or experimentation that happens in order to fix what is going wrong. So even Pluto in Aquarius, though, it does symbolize all these things. With AI it can also symbolize, okay, what are the new things that we need to invent or implement or do to curb the harm that AI is having on the planet. So that's also the Chiron in Taurus, Pluto and Aquarius story is like, there's tension there, but from that tension, people or communities will be galvanized to like, okay, guys, we really need to fix this problem, or you really need to come up with a stopgap or a way to move forward in a way, again, that considers the Earth and her resources.
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B
So without predicting outcomes, are there certain astrological signatures that historically align with periods of collective shift?
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C
Yeah, there is, and we're going through one right now. It's the Saturn Neptune co presence. They formed a conjunction earlier this year and last year. But usually this is like a changing of the guards when it comes to society. Saturn is a planet that has a lot to do with consensus Reality, reality as we see it, reality as we feel it. Neptune tends to be the more idealized reality. What are we hoping towards? What are we reaching towards? What is the vision? They formed a conjunction together at 0 degrees of Aries. So it's like the very first sign, at the very first degree, ushering in this era of again, air and fire. So tech and progress and movement and all of that. There tends to be historically a lot of changes that happen whenever Saturn and Neptune meet together in the same sign. And I think the quality of those changes has a lot to do with the sign that they're in. So we're seeing Aries, which is can in its way be about pioneering, doing the new thing, moving forward, speed, maybe over accuracy, or what they say in Silicon Valley, move fast and break things as long as you're getting to the outcome, but also the disillusionment that results from that. But that's kind of like the main thing of the main kind of change that we are all living within is that Saturn, Neptune, Aries, conjunction at zero degrees, which is ushered in a lot of what we're seeing now, especially with tech and AI and the kind of governance for the few instead of governance for the many, or the eroding of structures that we once look to as like, fail safes and like, this is just going to be here. And now we're in this society that like, is bringing in change, sometimes in ways that are like, fun and exciting, but sometimes threaten the structure that we really need to move forward.
- [29:20]
B
And it feels like that has been a theme for some time. Right. And I think many of us have felt this like, sense of unease and like there has been a collective anxiety, I think, for several years now. How do you feel like astrology can help us engage with some of this uncertainty without feeling like there's impending doom.
- [29:38]
C
That's such a great question. I talk about this with my colleagues a lot, that astrology doesn't prevent us from needing to weather the storms, but it gives us a roadmap. So a lot of us saw these changes coming because we were just looking forward and projecting the movements of the planet. So what I think astrology can help all of us do, at varying levels of interest or education around it, is accept that this is the time that we're in. And then using astrology as a tool to perform as best we can, given what is happening or given the kind of shifts that we find ourselves in. Astrology, to me has been personally and collectively something that's really helpful for just like, okay, this is where we are. This is what we're moving through. This is the chapter of life that we're in. There's no denying it, but there is then the agency that comes with that which is like, how am I going to work with it and how am I going to show up to it in some way? And there's so many beautiful individual ways that all of these planets and all of these signs can show up for us as a kind of meeting the moment as best that we can.
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B
So which signs may feel the strongest impact from the major transits happening through the rest of 2026?
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C
The fixed signs. So we're talking Taurus, Leo, Aquarius and Scorpio. The reason I say that is because so much activation is happening in the fixed signs. Leo, Taurus and Aquarius. So these signs, the theme for the rest of the year that I thought of is a lot of growth through tension. So there's some pain points to work through. There is a need again to think about how to move forward in the way that feels the most sustainable. But there's also gonna be this solar eclipse in August that's gonna affect all the fixed signs very personally. A quality of major beginnings and also major endings. So there's just so much on the table for fixed signs. There's so much life changing and life altering things that I think they will be moving through for the rest of this year particularly.
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D
Yeah.
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B
What do you mean when you say a fixed sign?
- [31:42]
C
Yeah, so all of the signs have a kind of modality. So we have the cardinal modality which wants forward, start and initiate. That's Aries, that's Libra, that's Cancer, and that is Capricorn. Then we have the fixed signs. They come after the cardinal sign. So it's like you did all the starting with the cardinal, now we gotta sustain, now we gotta build where we are. So that's Taurus, Leo, Aquarius and Scorpio. They're more about clinging to things, more about building upon things. And then we have the mutable signs, which is where we change and where we things are a little bit more in flux. So that's Gemini, that's Virgo, that's Sagittarius and Pisces. These are signs that are more about flexibility, more about reaching out and discovering new things. So that's what I mean when I say fix, cardinal, mutable or the modalities of all the 12 signs.
- [32:34]
B
Got it.
- [32:35]
A
More from our conversation after the break. Living with a rare autoimmune condition can bring a lot of uncertainty. But it can also bring people together in powerful ways. Tune in for Season six of Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a Ruby Studio production in partnership with Argenics. This season, host Martine Hackett brings you fresh stories from people living with MG and CIDP and expands the conversation to people living with other rare conditions like Myositis and igan. Through their stories, you'll learn what it's like to participate in clinical trials seeking new treatments, how connection fuels hope, and how people can support one another along the way. Because living with a rare disease isn't about getting through it. It's about moving forward together. Listen to Untold Stories Life with a Severe Autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [33:39]
B
So you mentioned that the retrograde really are going to be asking all of us to kind of slow down and pay attention to kind of like our interior lives. Are there any particular signs that are going to be particularly impacted or feel this more strongly than others?
- [33:53]
C
Yes, I do think the cardinal and the mutable signs will be feeling the effects of the retrograde that much more. The reason I say this is because there's a harmonious connection with the air and the fire that's being activated out in the sky that has been working favorably, I think, for the mutable signs and the cardinal signs. So to start first with the cardinal signs, Aries, Libra, Capricorn, Cancer, to remind folks, the first half of 2026 was a lot about them maybe starting over, but a lot of movement and a lot of doing. So I think the cardinal signs will feel the impact of the retrograde that much more because they want to move forward. And retrograde is all about stopping and looking back. So they may feel that sense of frustration, they may feel that sense of I'm at an impasse just a little bit more deeply. Then we have the mutable signs, which are about movement, but in a different way. It's more about the matrix of movement. Or I can go here, or I can go there, do a little of this, a little bit of that. The retrograde for them will also kind of force them to consolidate their energies or think a little bit more thoroughly about how to move forward in a very solid way. So when I'm thinking about cardinals and the mutable signs, I think the retrogrades are gonna be felt as the most frustrating for them just because they're the ones that do like to keep moving in their different, nuanced, different ways. But again, we have to rest, we have to digest, we have to look back in order to move forward in a way that feels more wise and feels more intentional. So those are the buckets, I think, of signs that we'll be feeling the retrogrades the most.
- [35:25]
A
Thank you.
- [35:26]
B
Thank you. So if someone knows their chart, what should they look for to understand whether a transit or retrograde is likely to affect them more personally? So are they looking at houses, specific planets, angles? What are they looking for?
- [35:40]
C
All of the above? Yeah. The natal chart is such a specific, unique map. So it's easy to talk about these things in abstractions like, this is what's going to be happening generally. But if you pull up your chart, you can see like, oh, this is going to be happening in the part of my life that has to do with work or service or health or routines. Pulling up the chart and seeing transits in the context of your chart helps to give you a little bit more clue or a little bit more details about the exact things that may be coming up for you. So if Jupiter in Leo, for instance, is going to be in someone's fifth house, then I'm saying, oh, there's a real emphasis on play, there's a real emphasis on expression or creativity here. But if Jupiter and Leo maybe is in someone's sixth house, where it's more about routine and work, then I'm thinking about, yeah, play in creative creativity and expression, but within the context of work and duty and service, or showing up to these things in a more regimented way. So, yeah, the natal chart has everything to do with how this is going to show up for some folks. Some people may have a planet in Leo that's going to get supercharged. And some people then may have a planet in Scorpio that's going to feel a little bit of that tension. So always, always, always looking towards, through your own natal chart to get a little bit more context about where these larger collective changes are going to be happening for you inside of your own personal life.
- [37:00]
B
And if people are curious about their natal chart that haven't actually gotten this done, where can they look to get this done for themselves?
- [37:07]
C
Well, there's a lot of free chart generators, so you can literally Google natal chart and there's so many great softwares out there. But I'll also do a Jupiter and Leo plug for myself. If you have have trouble reading your chart, there's so many things and symbols and it's hard to digest, you can come to someone like me, an astrologer, to help you dissect what it all means and to help kind of give you the groundwork and then the foundation to be able to be like, okay, then I know how these transits are going to be affecting me. So always, always using a human, not AI, to help you discover these things about yourself. But a lot of free chart generators will get you halfway there.
- [37:46]
B
Got it. So I want to run through all of the signs and then would love for you to give us maybe a short affirmation for what kinds of things they might want to hold on to for the rest of the year. Okay, so first with cancer.
- [38:00]
C
Okay, so for cancer, I would say the affirmation is, how do I move forward and still make space to care for my heart?
- [38:10]
B
Beautiful Leo.
- [38:15]
C
I would say for Leo, it's time to shine, take up space, enter the stage of life. It's your year.
- [38:22]
B
Virgo.
- [38:25]
C
For Virgo. I would say tending to the small things is how you will reach the big dream library. For Libra, I would say, be discerning about the people that you choose to spend your precious time with.
- [38:45]
B
Scorpio.
- [38:48]
C
For Scorpio. I would say it's time to come out of the shadows. It's time to get a little bit more comfortable with being seen and being visible.
- [38:57]
B
Sagittarius.
- [39:00]
C
Sagittarius. It is time to make that itinerary as large as possible. Get out there, Discover the world is your oyster at this time. So take that big leap of faith out there.
- [39:13]
B
Capricorn.
- [39:16]
C
For Capricorn. I would say, gosh, this year is a lot about starting over. So with Capricorn, I would say, do not fear having to start from scratch. There's something in the beginning that is part of the legacy that you are building.
- [39:34]
A
Yeah.
- [39:35]
B
Aquarius.
- [39:38]
C
Aquarius. A lot of personal transformation this year. Let go of the ways of being that just do not serve you and step into a new way of being. As scary as it may be, that's more in alignment with what you're meant to do.
- [39:52]
B
Pisces.
- [39:55]
C
Oh, Pisces. The eclipses are finally leaving you alone. You can take a breath. I would say this year, I would say for Pisces, focus on rest, focus on recovery. And always, always, always tending that spiritual flame within that'll help you show up and meet the world.
- [40:12]
D
Aries.
- [40:14]
C
Time to be bold. Aries. But for specifically Aries, maybe I would say it's okay if you're not moving fast. To take any step forward or even to move backwards doesn't mean you won't get there. So be calm, be patient, and Let the journey unravel. Taurus, Taurus. It is time to focus on healing the body. It is time to get back to the basics. Remember your rhythms, remember your nature. A lot is growing and changing around you, but don't forget about the body in the present moment. And Gemini, Gemini. There's a lot out there to collect and to play with and discover. This year that continues, but again, just doing it with an eye on how do I consolidate this as I move forward and also how can I do it in a way that it's sustainable?
- [41:06]
B
So you mentioned with Pisces that the planetary shifts can finally leave them alone. What would you say to people who maybe are coming out of a difficult kind of retrograde period? Like, what does it look like to actually tend to yourself again and, you know, nurse those wounds, so to speak? Maybe, yeah.
- [41:22]
C
If a client came to me asking the same question, I would say, what did you learn? What did you learn about yourself during the difficult time during the eclipses, during Saturn, being in your sign? What are the lessons? What are the gems that you picked up from that season of difficulty? And how can you be grateful for it in such a way that allows you to move forward, not being scared about the next hard time, but being really, really fortified and feeling strong with respect to your capacity to face what comes your way?
- [41:55]
B
Thank you for that. So how should we all be looking at astrology to set intentions for the rest of the year?
- [42:02]
C
Again, I think astrology is really good at telling us the time that we are in and telling us the particular chapter that we all are in. So looking at the rest of astrology for 2026, with respect to what's gonna be activated for you, or what are you moving through and basing your intentions on what you see being activated, Right? So for some folks, if the intention is I wanna keep moving forward, when I wanna move forward with some amount of intention and care for the body, then having an intention around again, how do I remember myself or how do I remember my rhythms or how do I do this in a way that feel slow and that feels really, really good? I think that when you know what the year is asking of all of us, then you can kind of tailor your intentions to kind of match how you want to meet that energy. So astrology is really good about just being like, okay, this is the story that's being written. You get to decide what character you want to inhabit as that story is unraveling and having a sense of intention about how you want to show up in that story.
- [43:06]
B
So Camille. Let us know where we can stay connected with you if we would like to work with you to get our chart done or have continuing sessions. What is your website as well as any social media channels you'd like to share?
- [43:16]
C
Yeah, my website is camillemichelle gray.com on there you can find the consultations that I have offered, but also things that I've written about astrology. I'm also Michelle M I L L Y M I C H E L L E primarily on Instagram, sharing all sorts of musing and tidbits about astrology.
- [43:38]
A
Perfect.
- [43:39]
B
We'll be sure to include that in our show Notes. Thank you so much for spending some time with us today.
- [43:43]
A
I appreciate it.
- [43:43]
C
Of course, it's been a pleasure. Dr. Joy
- [43:48]
A
I'm so glad Camille was able to join me for today's conversation. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. To learn more about her and her work, be sure to visit the show notes@thristyforblackgirls.com session 472 and don't forget to text this episode to two of your girls right now and tell them to check it out. Did you know that you could leave us a voicemail with your questions or suggestions for the podcast? Drop us a message at Memo FM therapyforblack Girls and let us know what's on your mind. We just might feature it on the podcast. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, visit our therapist directory@therapyforblackgirls.com directory don't forget to follow us on Instagram at Therapy for Black Girls and join us in our Patreon community for exclusive updates, behind the scenes content and much more. You can join us at community.therapy for blackgirls.com this episode was produced by Elise Ellis, Inde Chubu, and Bria Moseley. Editing was done by Dennison Bradford. Thank you all so much for joining me again this week. I look forward to continuing this conversation with you all real soon. Take good care. Living with a rare autoimmune condition brings uncertainty, but it can also create community. In season six of Untold Stories, Life with a severe autoimmune condition, they go beyond MG and cidp as host Martine Hackett welcomes stories from other conditions like myositis and IgAN into the conversation. Untold Stories is produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenics. Listen to Untold Stories Life with a severe Autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [45:25]
D
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- [45:54]
C
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.